Harness power of ‘we’ to get through this crisis

The coronavirus crisis is bringing out the best and the worst in us. In the midst of uncertainty and fear of the rapidly changing circumstances, community spirit is shining through.

The Government’s rescue package, with its swift payments to keep as many New Zealanders in jobs and businesses operating as possible, mortgage breaks to homeowners and a caring eye to beneficiaries and the most vulnerable members of our society, shows courage and responsibility to shore up the foundations of our society. It is also a relief for many that New Zealand’s borders are now closed to all but returning compatriots.

While more needs to be done to provide tax relief, to ensure the wage subsidies aimed at stressed small and medium enterprises are going into the right pockets and to let banks pass on the benefits of the plunge in OCR rates and the latest injection of fiscal help from the Reserve Bank, the Government is working to keep essential industries and services operating, if on a limited scale.

Air New Zealand and its largest shareholder, the Government, have worked out a debt funding agreement that includes loan facilities of up to $900 million that can keep the national airline operating.

The Government is also talking with big businesses to find solutions to keep these powerhouses operating and resourced to gear up when the pandemic fades. None of the effort is going to be able to soften the full force of the cruel blow of mass redundancies and business closures as our society and economy goes into withdrawal.

We hold the power and ability to help ourselves, adapt and learn to live the best we can and do what is right, with an eye to the greater good. We have to plan today to be ready for when recovery comes.

Already positive signs are coming out of China that the economy is turning, factories are starting up again and, great for New Zealand, the first kiwifruit shipments are on the water to this hungry market. Vaccines are in development.

Singapore, Taiwan and South

Korea have shown how to contain and manage the virus — and how powerful a national ethos of working for the greater good can be. When the authorities said stay at home, the people stayed at home. We must too.

But even as social distancing and self-isolation become part of our daily vocabulary, the community is galvanising, rallying to the morale-boosting cry that we’re all in it together. People are reaching out to keep vital social connections going; using social media to chat; livestreaming to share events or classes; keeping an eye on the elderly, sick and lonely; dropping off medicines and groceries and checking in on the neighbours, even if it is over the fence.

Supermarkets are keeping shelves stocked and panic buying at bay. Individuals are also much more conscientious about rigorous hand-washing and drying — and having the good sense not to cough over others.

We are growing physically apart, confined to our homes, working from home, with our kids entering a new era of online learning, public transport running to slimmer schedules, cafes, bars and restaurants closed, gigs cancelled and social gatherings — from funerals to weddings — becoming social media events, streamed live.

We have got the message that we are all in this together — and together with the rest of the world.

Our close circle of family, friends and colleagues has radiated out to encompass the nation and widened again as the world comes together to face the same dangers at the same time, sharing the same fears.

I see the renewal of the “we”, not the “I” that has been a hallmark of this era, as we live through a time of crisis that very few of us have ever experienced or dreamed possible.

Some see this rise of a new community spirit as reminiscent of World War II.

We must all do our bit. We are not helpless or witless. We can put away politics, stockpiling, profiteering and selfishness to look after each other.